


Widower

by bulma90_13



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Identity Reveal, M/M, Pining, Post-SPECTRE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 18:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12238488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulma90_13/pseuds/bulma90_13
Summary: All roads lead back home.





	Widower

James considered himself to be a creature of habit. He didn't think he was capable of change anymore. He was too old and set in his ways. Madeline was a lovely dream, but in the end she wanted more than he could give. And soon enough he was right back where he always would be.

London.

It was raining. Typical. The new building was mostly shut up for the night, only the emergency lights glowing dim in the endless hallways. The security was tighter than ever, but James didn't think that was unusual, even six months after the incident.

He nodded once at the agent outside of Q branch.

“Bond,” the dark man replied and swiped his subcutaneous microchip at the door scanner, granting James access. “He's been down there for days,” the agent added softly, like he was betraying a confidence. James thought he was. What business is it of anyone's if Q wishes to bury himself in his work? And him being at the office saves James the trouble of having to hunt down where he lives.

The previous M was very prickly about that.

Inside Q branch, there were large pieces of equipment everywhere, no desks or computers in sight. It looked more like a chop shop than a tech center. There was a single overhead light focused on a rusty metal desk that was placed in the center of the large, open room.

Q was typing away on a laptop, his black frames falling down his nose.

James' lips quirked ever-so-slightly. As a creature of habit, it was nice when people were dependable.

“I don't suppose you've got any scotch in that rickety desk of yours?”

Q's mouth fell open in shock. He quickly recovered. “If I did, I certainly wouldn't share it with a delinquent double-oh.”

James shrugged and smiled. “Six months isn't all that bad.”

Q was already back to typing. “Am I supposed to congratulate you?”

James dropped a key fob on top of his keyboard. “I believe this is yours.”

Q's eyes flicked up to meet his. “She had better be in pristine condition, 007, or so help me—”

“She's parked outside.”

Q blinked several times. James used his momentary bewilderment to look his fill. Q was clearly exhausted.

James swallowed down the momentary discomfort he felt at that. “Come have dinner with me.”

Q blinked again. “It's four in the morning.”

“Breakfast, then.” James gestured vaguely with his hands.

Q let his head drop back, rubbing his hands over his face and exposing his pale neck. “Why would I agree to that?”

“Because you look like you haven't left this cave in days.”

“I happen to love this cave.” Q righted himself in his chair before standing abruptly and pulling on the bottom of his jumper. “I'm driving.”

He snatched the fob from the desk and grabbed the puffy parka hanging on the back of his chair.

 

 

The 24-hour cafe that Q drove them to was almost completely vacant. The food was decent and not too expensive. James got the feeling Q came here a lot.

“Do you live around here?” James asked, honestly curious.

“That's classified.” Q sipped his tea. A pregnant pause and then, “Why now?”

James smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He knew what Q was asking. Why did he come back? Why did he come back now? Why did he stop by the new Q branch and bully him into breakfast?

“I don't know what I would do, if not this,” James answered honestly.

Q nodded. “I said almost the same thing to M when Ronson died.”

James had been leaning back in his chair, but almost jolted forward at Q's words. “Ronson?”

James hadn't thought about him in a long time...

* * *

_  
James walked to the end of the range, passing by the other agents who stopped to gape at him like he was some sort of celebrity. Good God, it was as if they’d never seen a double-oh before._

_When he finally made it to the end of the range, his usual stall was taken, and he smiled._

_“Ronson,” James greeted, nodding at the double-oh._

_Ronson took off his ear muffs. “Bond,” he nodded back. “What brings you down to the bowels of MI6? Surely you don’t need any practice.”_

_James placed his duffle bag at his feet. “M insisted. I haven’t logged any hours in over a year.”_

_Ronson chuckled and ejected his clip. “You’d think they’d let it slide, what with us having more important things to do than shoot a paper target indoors, but I’m not here to placate M. I’m here for the view…” He stated loudly and nodded toward the stall to James’ left._

_It was occupied by a thin boy with pale arms and a mop of dark brown hair on his head. His arms moved violently every time he fired the gun, but his aim wasn’t terrible, judging by the holes on his target. James tilted his head and let his gaze wander lower. He couldn’t see his face, but judging from his body, the boy wasn’t anything to go crazy over._

_He turned back to Ronson, a smirk on his face. “I didn’t know you were gay,” he remarked quietly._

_“I wouldn’t be much of a spy if you did,” he replied with a smirk._

_James shrugged and pulled his Walther PPK out of his duffle bag. “So ask him to dinner.”_

_Ronson sighed dramatically. “Trust me, I tried. The little minx actually follows the rules when it comes to MI6’s fraternization policy.”_

_James snorted, looked to his left to find the stall next to his empty. The boy was already halfway down the range to the exit. “Does he know who you are?” James asked incredulously. What kind of low-level grunt would turn down a dinner invitation from a double-oh?_

_Ronson reloaded his gun with a slide and a click. “Oh yes. He’s just making me work for it.” Ronson grinned, showing his teeth. “I rather like the challenge.”  
_

* * *

Q hummed to himself. “I guess I never did thank you.”

James' heart pounded in his chest, but he was hanging on Q's every word.

“I was there, you know. On the comms, that day.” Q’s long fingers traced the edge of his mug.

* * *

_  
James walked further into the hotel room. The bodies on the floor were fresh, but had already bled out. Couldn't have been more than five minutes ago. The next room revealed 008 bleeding out in a chair._

_“Ronson's down. He needs medical evac,” he told M._

_In his earpiece, she demanded he pursue the hard drive. But Ronson was another double-oh, just like him. It could've been him sitting in that chair, dying._

_James opened up Ronson's jacket. The blood had already soaked through the shirt._

_“I'm stabilizing Ronson,” he told her calmly._

_“We don't have the time,” she insisted._

_“I have to stop the bleeding!” he barked back. He knew he didn't have time. But he couldn't just leave him there. The pain in his eyes was so clear it was as if he were screaming at the injustice of it all._

_Just a few months prior, James had been invited to be a witness at a small civil ceremony. The cute boffin Ronson had been chasing for over a year had finally said yes to marrying him. James couldn't understand why any double-oh would even dream of marriage, but Ronson had told James that the young man worked for MI6, in Q branch, so he understood the job._

_James never did make it to the ceremony, some international crisis had come up, but he knew that Ronson had finally gotten his wish._

_“Leave him!” M hissed over the earpiece._

_James applied pressure. He took Ronson's hand and placed it over his wound, but the strength in his grip was already gone. Ronson locked eyes with James and nodded imperceptibly._

_James got up and took out his gun. With one final look over his shoulder, he left Ronson for dead._

_Med evac would never make it in time.  
_

* * *

James swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Had he truly been so blind?

“They were able to put me on before he died.” Q looked up at James, smiling sadly as a few silent tears fell unabashedly from his eyes. “He told me he loved me. Said it was worth every moment.”

James wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He had been so stupid. If he had only paid a little more attention. If he hadn't been so consumed with his own self-pity, he might've put it all together years before.

“I'll always be grateful to you, Bond. For giving us those few extra moments.”

There was suddenly a lump in his throat, and this time James did look away, coughing to clear it. “He was a good man.”

Q hummed again. “Yes, he was.”

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by [Cherlocked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cher69).
> 
> I'd love any and all feedback! ♥
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bulma90-13.tumblr.com/).


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